Notes from the Wildlife Naturalist:
Spotted Salamander Migration

By Emily Stauss

When you think of spring, you may think of warm, sunny days, birds chirping, and new buds and blooms emerging from the barren branches of winter. But did you know that one of the first signs of spring in Alabama is the annual Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) migration?

The Spotted Salamander is a fossorial species, meaning that it spends most of its life underground. It is very secretive and hides in logs and under leaf litter, and it brumates during the winter. Then, the first warm, late winter rain will trigger dozens to hundreds, and in some places, thousands, of Spotted Salamanders to emerge from their winter burrows and migrate in large groups to nearby vernal pools, where they mate and lay their eggs. A few days later, the salamanders will migrate back to their burrows.

Vernal pools are seasonal, temporary pools of water that form in floodplains. They usually fill with water during the winter and are dry by summer. They are a critically important habitat for amphibians because they cannot support fish populations, which would eat the amphibians and their eggs. Vernal pools are a delicate habitat that are unfortunately threatened by urbanization and deforestation, and in addition to these threats, the Spotted Salamander also is vulnerable when it has to cross roads to reach its breeding pools.

Spotted Salamanders have been seen at Ruffner, although they are not as common as the similar-looking but more common Slimy Salamander. Old mining pits at Ruffner become vernal pools in the winter, and some have even been lined for the purpose of creating salamander breeding grounds. Keep an eye out for the Spotted Salamander and these breeding pools the next time you visit this winter!

The annual Spotted Salamander migration is an incredible sight, as well as the first sign of spring in Alabama - and you don’t have to travel far to see it. A large population of Spotted Salamanders undergoes this migration each year in Homewood, AL, and there is even a festival hosted by the Friends of Shades Creek celebrating their emergence each year! This year’s festival will be hybrid, with a virtual component starting on January 29, 2022, and running through February, and in-person hikes on January 29 and 30. If you love salamanders, I highly recommend attending and asking Friends of Shades Creek how you can get involved in preserving this amazing Alabama amphibian!

You can learn more about Friends of Shades Creek and the Salamander Festival on their website: https://shadescreek.org/.